


Once Upon A Daydream

by Ladytalon



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-10
Updated: 2010-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-10 01:11:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/93584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladytalon/pseuds/Ladytalon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Takes place directly after <em>The Seed</em> and my assumption that Midway's been rebuilt.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Once Upon A Daydream

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place directly after _The Seed_ and my assumption that Midway's been rebuilt.

  


________________________________________

__

The goodbyes are easier this time, and Carson thinks of the old line about practice making perfect as he steps through the event horizon. The familiar wrenching sensation of gate travel makes his stomach lurch as if he's in free-fall, then he's through and the _whoosh_ of the wormhole closing behind him recalls him to his senses.

"Doctor Beckett? Welcome to Midway… well, I like to call it Midway 2.0 since the first one blew up," Bill Lee says, holding out a hand in greeting. Carson takes it automatically, forcing a smile. "If you don't mind me asking… is it true that you're…?"

"Scottish? Aye."

"I, uh, meant-"

Carson interrupts by reaching out to place a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Doctor Lee – it's been a bit hectic back on Atlantis… would you mind terribly if I got some rest?"

"Oh! Yeah – yeah, sure. I'll just show you to your quarters…" Carson averts his eyes from the Pegasus gate as he follows; when Dr. Lee finally leaves after apologizing yet again for the small size of the cabin the doctor rubs his palms down his thighs, unsurprised at the dark streaks of moisture that stand out on the lighter fabric of his pants.

_"I hope you're not claustrophobic."_

Lee had a smile on his face when he'd said it, trying to make a joke of the small, cramped room. Carson had never minded enclosed areas but after being kept in a darkened cell for two years, he has a renewed appreciation for wide open spaces. Pacing only makes the walls seem to close in on him, so he lies down on the bottom half of the bunk bed to close his eyes and struggle for calm. Equilibrium returns slowly and his breathing eases as he opens his eyes and stares up at the mattress above him. He's tired enough to sleep for days but now that Carson finally has time to relax, all he can think about is the stasis chamber and all that happened to put him there.

Panic returns in a rush that sends him scrambling for the door - once outside in the hall Carson slumps against the bulkhead, breathing hard with his heart hammering against his ribs. _This is bloody ridiculous_, he tells himself irritably. Still, going back in the room doesn't appeal to him now that he's able to extend his arms more than two feet.

He decides to take a walk around the station and is approaching the main corridor when the slight tremble of a Gate activating makes him detour to see who else will be joining him for the 24-hour quarantine. Carson makes his way into the control room, nodding to Bill Lee as he approaches the thick plexi-glas windows. "Who's this, then?" he asks curiously.

"Just a few Marines headed back to Atlantis," Dr. Lee says, not bothering to look up from his terminal. "I can't wait to hear them complain about how small the rooms are."

Carson turns to reply when the words die on his lips and all he can do is stare. A team of four Marines have just stepped through the Milky Way gate, and one of them is a woman he'd never thought he'd see ever again. _Oh, Christ Almighty_. She was all he'd thought about, when the despair threatened to overwhelm him and he waited, day after day, for someone to come for him.

He watches her laughing and joking with the others, the flame of her red hair burning bright with the reflected shimmer from the still-active stargate. In the past two years, Carson has had plenty of time to think about her and he knows exactly how many times he's run his fingers through the glossy fall of her hair. Only now, he's forced to realize that his weren't the hands that had touched her. He's never been hers at all.

________________________________________

__


End file.
